Thread-cutting thimble.



EA. w. KING. THREAD CUTTING THIMBLE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-18 |915 Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

we :4o/ems Fergus cu.. Nom-umu. wAsnmamN. n c.

illtlflED NPAT@ THREAD-CUTTING THIMBLE.

Application filed October 18, 1915.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, EUGENIA VEATHERLY KING, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lThread-Cutting Thimbles, of which the following is a specification.l

My invention relates to a thimble adapted for the cutting of thread and designed to make unnecessary the use of scissors or other thread cutting means for severing thread when sewing.

The object of my invention is to provide a thimble with a thread cutter so arranged thereon that with extreme ease and with out any studied motion on'the art of the user or adjustment of the thim le for the purpose, one can quickly and evenly sever the thread close to a spool held in the thimble hand or Hush with the material that is being sewn. It is also very important that the cutter should be so disposed on the thimble that in engaging and pressing against the thread to sever it the pull of the thread will be exerted to more firmly seat the thimble upon the finger rather than to twist or pull it off, for if such a tendency should result it would destroy the practical value of the invention, as thimbles are easily displaced by any pull except one exerted directly toward and in line with the finger and if the use of the cutter displaced the thimble and the latter had to be replaced after use, it would be more convenient to use scissors or to break the thread.

According to the preferred embodiment of my invention a cutter is provided near the rear end of the thimble with its cutting edge standing in a radial plane through the thimble axis and facing toward the outer or closed end of the thimble so that in operating it to cut a thread it is thrust forward toward the thread with a natural outward swinging movement of the finger and in being pressed against the thread it serves to more firmly seat the thimble upon the finger. By my arrangement, the cutter normally stands in most convenient position on the finger for severing, by a slight movement of the thimble finger toward the wrist, a strand of thread from a spool held between the thumb and forenger of the thimble hand or from the material sewn.

TWhile I prefer to arrange the cutter near the base of the'thimble it may obviously be Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, i917.

Serial No. 56,489.

disposed at any point upon the thimble, provided always that its cutting edge is disposed substantially radially of and facing toward the closed end of the thimble. In order that the cutter may not catch on or damage the goods, the cutting edge is made short and, if desired, it may be practically shrouded by the bead at the base of the' thimble. Its outstanding point or tip is slightly rounded over and left smooth so that it will not catch on the goods. The cutting edge merges into the curve at the tip, preferably forming a tangent to the tip curve so that no catching point is left. The cutter may be provided on the thimble in any suitable manner but preferably by punching or pressing out and bending up a lip having its front or cutting edge facing and slightly overlapping toward the closed end of the thimble so as to afford a more positive engagement with the thread.

As illustrative of what l regard the preferred embodiment of my invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is a perspective view of a thimble showing the thread cutter formed integral therewith.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the thread cutting thimble in the act of severing a strand of thread from a spool.

Fig. 3 illustrates the thimble in side elen vation in the act of severing a thread from the material sewn.

Fig. i is a fragmental view illustrating the cutter in side elevation.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

My invention is applicable to any ordinary type of thimble such as the thimble 1 having about its base the bead 2, and above that a smooth band 3. rlhe serrated or pitted portion 4C of the thimble extends from the band 3 over its closed outer end. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated I 4punch up from the smooth band portion of the thimble a lip 5 which is bent outwardly until it assumes a radial position with its body portion disposed in an axial plane intersecting the long axis of the thimble.

The lip is provided with a short forward cutting edge 6 which faces toward the pitted end of the thimble and is inclined slightly rearwardly to its point of junction. with the thimble. rlhe outer apex or tip of the cutter ioY is rounded over on a curve to which the cutting edge 6 forms a tangent so as to present a smooth surface should it contact with the cloth which will not cut, catch in or in-` jure the cloth. The cutting edge may be sharpened if desired in any suitable manner.

The manner of use of the device is as follows z-The thimble is placed upon the finger with its cutter disposed outwardly, as seen in Fig. 2. To cut off thread from a spool, the latter is grasped between the foreiinger and thumb of the thimble hand and the free v end oi' the thread grasped with the other "to the outside oi' the strand of thread.

hand and drawn 0H to the desired length. It will be noted that the thiinble linger lies naturally and normally slightly under and It now the user will advance the thimble linger with a tree natural movement toward the wrist the cutting edge of the lip will engage the strand of thread, which, being held by the spool and the other hand will be instantaneously severed by the cutter. So convenient'is the arrangement of the cutter on the thimble that the thread can be cut without any noticeable effort and as quickly as the strands can be drawn off the spool.

The manner of cutting the thread from the work is illustrated in Fig. 3 where, with the needle held in the thimble hand, the thread is shown drawn around the lingers and over the thumb of the thimble hand in any manner convenient to the user to secure a tension on the thread. The cutter will be found to be in convenient position to be placed in contact with the thread at its immediate point of emergence from the material. With the sewing held irmly in the left hand, a slight downward movement of the thimble inger toward the wrist of the thimble hand will sever the thread smoothly flush with the surface of the material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A thimble having an outwardly pro `iecting thread cutter disposed substantially in a radial axial plane through the thimble, said cutter having a short front cutting edge facing toward the closed end of the thimble and having a rounded tip, said cutting edge forming a tangent to the curve oi the tip, substantially as described.

2. A thimble having an integral outwardly projecting thread cutter thereon, said thread cutter lying in an axial plane longitudinally through the thimble and comprising a short cutting edge slightly inclined toward the closed end of the thimble, said cutter at the outer end of its cutting edge being rounded over on a short radius curve and inclined back toward the open end of the thimble, substantially as described.

3. A thimble having a lip punched up from its body portion, said lip having a short thread cutting edge thereof which faces toward the closed end of the thimble and projects from the thimble in a plane through its long axis and is inclined slightly toward the outer closed end of the thimblo, and said lip having a rounded tip forming ai uninterrupted continuation ot' said short e ge.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

EUGENIA IVEATHERLY KING.

Witness:

Norma WELSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

